NHL Playoffs 2019: Schedule, Odds and Predictions for Friday's Round 1 Games

All eight first-round series of the NHL playoffs have started, and postseason hockey is in full swing.

The top Game 2 matchup to watch will be the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets, as the Lightning will be looking to avenge a shocking upset loss in Game 1 of the series. The Stanley Cup favorite's championship chances could take a big hit if it loses to Columbus again.

Friday Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Odds (All Times ET)

Odds via Caesars.

Game 2: Columbus (+220; bet $100 to win $220) at Tampa Bay (-260; bet $260 to win $100), 7 p.m., CNBC

Game 2: Pittsburgh (-130) at N.Y. Islanders (+115), 7:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Game 2: St. Louis (+105) at Winnipeg (-120), 9:30 p.m., CNBC

Game 2: Vegas (+115) at San Jose (-130), 10:30 p.m., NBC Sports Network

Friday Predictions

There will be three teams that win to even their series at 1-1, with only one taking a 2-0 lead.

The Tampa Bay Lightning will bounce back from a tough Game 1 loss against the Blue Jackets to win on their home ice. The Lightning had a 3-0 lead in the first game, but they allowed four consecutive goals as the Blue Jackets notched a 4-3 victory.

The Lightning were the best team in the NHL during the regular season, winning the Presidents' Trophy and collecting 12 more wins than the next-best team. It's early in their series, but no team wants to fall into an 0-2 hole, especially when it plays those first two games at home.

"Let's be honest: This wasn't a full 60 minutes—it was a little spurt that cost us," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper said, according to Martin Fennelly the Tampa Bay Times. "[If] we'd have self-corrected that, we're probably not having this conversation right now, but we didn't. It's time to move on."

The Lightning will do that, picking up a win before the series moves to Columbus.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are also looking to avoid an 0-2 deficit, but they are playing on the road against the New York Islanders. Even if they lose Game 2, they will be back in Pittsburgh for Games 3 and 4.

On the flip side, if the Penguins notch a Game 2 win, they will be in a great position heading back home. And that's exactly what they will do, bouncing back from a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 1.

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

"We just need to simplify," Pittsburgh right wing Bryan Rust said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "They had a lot of energy. The crowd is roaring. They're flying around and hitting everything. It's nothing that we haven't seen before."

Like the Lightning, the Winnipeg Jets dropped Game 1 of their first-round series on their home ice, losing 2-1 to the St. Louis Blues. However, this should turn out to be one of the more competitive series of the first round between two evenly matched teams.

Expect the Jets to win Game 2 to even the series before it moves to St. Louis.

On Wednesday, the San Jose Sharks recorded a statement victory over the Vegas Golden Knights, who made the Stanley Cup Final last year in their inaugural season. The Sharks scored three second-period goals en route to a 5-2 win.

This will be a competitive series, and Vegas will win a game or two on its home ice. However, the Golden Knights are going to have a two-game deficit, as the Sharks will take Game 2.